Cover letters are very important when submitting a resume. A cover letter gives you the opportunity to wow the reader/employer and set yourself apart from other applicants. It also gives you a chance to share information that is not included in the resume itself.
You should write the resume first, and when that is complete chose three or so main details that you would like to highlight and discuss in more detail. These details will make up the body part of your letter.
What does a resume cover letter include? What format should be used?
The format used is the same as any other letter; introduction, body, and conclusion. The letter should also be in block style because you want it to appear professional. The following explains what exactly should be included in each section of the letter.
Introduction:
• What job are you applying for?
• Where did you learn about the job?
• How are you qualified for the position?
Body:
• Elaborate more on your qualifications
• Focus each paragraph on one strength or qualification
• Use lists to focus on important areas
Conclusion:
• Make reference to other documents included such as resume
• Give the reader an opportunity to meet with you
• Avoid over used conclusions like “Hope to hear from you soon”
As a rule of thumb, be sure you are familiar with your cover letter because many interviewers use these letters to structure their interviews. Make certain that you have knowledge about the information you include in your letter because chances are you will be asked questions about it. Make sure you follow the 5 C’s when writing this letter because employers have many letters to read and they do not have time to search for information.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHl1NZAmAD4
Dobrin, Sidney, Christopher Keller, and Christian Weisser. Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2008.
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I really like introduction to your post. I agree that a cover letter gives you the opportunity to wow the employer and set yourself apart from other applicants. I also like how you explained what should be included in the introduction, body paragraph and conclusion of the letter. I think that your post is interesting and educative. You have some grammatical errors and some comma missing, but overall, you did a great job on your post.
ReplyDeleteI think you did a great job with this post though I would have added that cover letters might be changed slightly depending on each particular job you are applying to. Your post is very helpful besides that, wonderful job.
ReplyDeleteBrennan,
ReplyDeleteI could tell that you put thought into this blog and I thought it really paid off. Nice work. I thought that you were sure to include details and points that are key such as what format to write in (block). The points you included in each section I also felt were great, especially when you brought up not using over-used conclusions and provided an example with it.
As the others mentioned a few errors, but nothing major. You also mentioned the 5 C's, but did not state what they were. They can be easy to forget so restating what they are never hurts.
I thought the video was a nice addition. I do agree with Terri, though, that mentioning that a cover letter should be changed slightly based upon the particular position is important. You did a great job explaining what the cover letter does and what the purpose of it is, just forgot to mention that small factor. You concluded it well also, so great job with this week's blog! A job well done.
Great layout of your blog! Great use of bulletpoints and narrowing down information to only include what is necessary. I also like how you split your topic up in to groups! This blog was very helpful and very neatly organized.
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